The Beattie Family
The Beattie Family
To date the information is scanty. The origins of the Beattie family are to be found in Scotland, however not enough information is known to go back beyond 1844. What is known is that the Beattie family ( all generations ) to 1945, had very strong ties to the Coast Guards through the 1800s and to the Royal and Merchant Navy. Some of the earliest records are found in the 1881 Census, Bishopstone, County of Sussex. Here the name is spelt as "BEATY". There are two families of the same name living only a short distance apart, and it is felt that they may have been related, the older couple very probably being related to the younger family in the census. Occupation for all the adult males being with the Coast Guards. The place names given for the two families are Bishopstone and Newhaven. Births for the family were registered at Lewes and Eastbourne. Later generations of the family lived in Portsmouth.
Map of S.E. England showing the county of Sussex and main towns.
Generation 1
Charles Beattie Nothing known about Charles except he was a Seaman(1)and born in Scotland.
Generation 2
James Beattie born 2 June 1845 (1)(13) in Aberdeen, Scotland, son of Charles Beattie. He Enlisted in the Royal Navy as a boy on the 4th of March 1859. He may have lied about his date of birth by one year, as it differs from that on his marriage certificate. ( Navy papers state he was born in 1843) He volunteered for a further ten years service on the 2nd of June 1861. At the time he was a "Gunners Mate" serving on HMS Himalaya.
He married in the Parish Church at Sutton cum Seaford, Sussex, England, December 21st 1871, Serena Hall,(1)(9) daughter of Richard HALL (Seaman), and Mary Ann THORNE(14). Serena was born in Portsmouth, County of Hampshire, England, 1849 and died on the 3rd of August 1935. The marriage was registered in the District of Eastbourne, Sussex, England. James was a Coast Guard, and may have been for a time Light House Keeper at Beachey Head, Sussex. No date of death for James has been found as yet, or his place of burial. Serena was buried in Cosham, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, 1935.(6)
Their known children were :
Generation 3.
1. James Beattie Born in Sussex, England, December 1874, birth registered at Eastbourne, Sussex. (2)(3)(5) At the time of the 1901 census, James was in the Royal Navy and living at Southampton, England.
2. Richard Thomas Beattie Born at the Coast guard Station, Bishopstone, Parish of Blachington, Sussex, England, on the 16th March 1878.(4)(5) His birth was registered at Lewes on the 8th of April 1878. He died in Portsmouth, England, in 1947. (5)(6) Follows under 2
3. Selena Beattie born 1882 at the Coast Guards Station, Blachington Sussex(3). Selena married ? Frank Stemp abt. 1902.(6) Selina was living in Cosham, Southampton with her brother James at the time of the 1901 census. Her occupation given as Dressmaker(3).
Sources: (1) Public Records Office, (P.R.O.) United Kingdom. Marriage, Nov. 1871 District of Eastbourne, Parish of Sussex. No.173. (2) P.R.O. United Kingdom, Birth, December 1874, District of Eastbourne, Sussex, Vol. 2B. Page 66. (3) 1901 United Kingdom Census, Cosham, Sussex. (4) P.R.O. United Kingdom, Birth, District of Lewes, Sub District of Newhaven, Sussex. No. 496207 CK. Page 256 1878. (5) Albert Beattie (1987) Son of Richard Thomas Beattie. (6) Irene Cecilia Toon (Oral History, 1987) Step daughter of Richard Thomas Beattie. (7) Ellis Island, New York. Foreign Ships Passenger List. "Olympic" 1923 and "Mauritania" 1924. (8) 1881 United Kingdom Census, Bethnall Green, London. (9) 1881 United Kingdom Census, Bishopstone, Sussex. (10) Cable and Wireless Limited. (United Kingdom) Telegram 1945. (11) Cheryl Beattie, Personal Knowledge. Beattie Family. (12) Lilly Greta Beattie (nee Burns). (13) The National Archives. United Kingdom. Royal Navy. Ref. No. ADM 139/611. (14) P.R.O. United Kingdom. Marriages in the District of Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Vol. 8. Page 347, Dec. 1846.
2. Richard Thomas Beattie born in Sussex 1878. Educated to GH level at Greenwich School. He joined the Royal Navy as a boy and first went to sea at age 15 (1893). (5) At this time not much is known of his time in the Royal Navy except that he was involved in the 2nd Boer War (1901-2) and was injured and invalided to the Cape Hospital, South Africa. Subsequent to this he was pensioned off in 1903. I have no information as to how he was injured or what his injuries were. In April of 1904 he was awarded the South African Gratuity Medal (1901-2) and The South African Medal.(5)(6)
Some time after this period he joined the Merchant Navy and worked for the White Star Line (later to become the Cunnard Line in 1936) based in Southampton, England. Some of the ships he served on were the Luisatania, Olympic, Mauritania, Aquatania (which was his favorite) and the Carpathia. Family anecdotes place Richard on the Carpathia at the time of the sinking of the Titanic.(5)(6) Records at Ellis Island, New York, show that he was still working for Cunnards up to 1924 making voyages from Southampton to New York on the Olympic and Mauritania. His rating, from Able Seaman to Storekeeper(7). He remained working in the Merchant Navy until the eve of the second world war.
He married in 1919 at the St. Michaels Rd. Registry office, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, Hannah Cecilia Rayner, who was born at 15 Cambridge St. Bethnall Green, London, England, on the 16th October 1889 and died in Portsmouth, England 1978. Daughter of George Rayner, Bootmaker and Rachel Elizabeth STOKES(6)(8). Richard and Hannah lived for some time at Sutherland Rd, Southsea.(6)
The only child from Hanna's first marriage was, Irene (Rene) Cecilia Toone, who was born in London, England on the 25th May 1914(6). She married in England, Frank Cowley, who pre deceased her. Frank died in Adelaide, South Australia(11). Irene died in New South Wales, Australia on the 17th June 1995(11). Issue.
The children of Richard Thomas Beattie and Hannah Cecilia Rayner were :
1. Richard George Beattie born in Portsmouth, England May 18 1919(5) and Died in Queensland, Australia 1984(11). Richard served in the Royal Navy during WW2 and was a POW of the Japanese. He was released in 1945(5)(10). Issue.
2. Frank Albert Beattie(1922- )(5) Issue.
3. Albert Beattie born at Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire,England in 1924(5), and died in Perth, Western Australia, 1995.(11) Married Lilly Greta Burns, daughter of Edmund George Burns and Lilly Irene Victoria Tiller(5)(12). Issue
4. Herbert Gordon Beattie (1927-)(5) Issue.
Sources: (1) Public Records Office, (P.R.O.) United Kingdom.. Marriage, Nov. 1871 District of Eastbourne, Parish of Sussex. No.173. (2) P.R.O. United Kingdom, Birth, December 1874, District of Eastbourne, Sussex, Vol. 2B. Page 66. (3) 1901 United Kingdom Census, Cosham, Sussex. (4) P.R.O. United Kingdom, Birth, District of Lewes, Sub District of Newhaven, Sussex. No. 496207 CK. Page 256 1878. (5) Albert Beattie (Oral History, 1987) Son of Richard Thomas Beattie. (6) Irene Cecilia Toon (Oral History, 1987) step daughter of Richard Thomas Beattie. (7) Ellis Island, New York. Foreign Ships Passenger List. "Olympic" 1923 and "Mauritania" 1924. (8)1881 United Kingdom Census, Bethnall Green, London. (9) 1881 United Kingdom Census, Bishopstone, Sussex. (10) Cable and Wireless Limited. (United Kingdom) Telegram 1945. (11) Cheryl Beattie, Personal Knowledge. (12) Lilly Greta Beattie (nee Burns). (13) The National Archives. United Kingdom. Royal Navy. Ref. No. ADM 139/611. (14) P.R.O. United Kingdom. Marriages in the District of Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Vol. 8. Page 347, Dec. 1846.
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